Jupiter day-labor flier splits views
By ANA X. CERON


Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, October 18, 2007

JUPITER — Inserting the thick-stock flier into the town's water bills was one way to help promote the El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center.

It worked. Since last week, the day-labor center on Military Trail has been fielding calls from residents and business-owners interested in using its services.

Town hall workers also have been receiving calls, although of a different sort and tone.

Staffers from the utilities department have been getting angry calls criticizing the town for including the fliers with its monthly water bills, Town Manager Andy Lukasik said.

"We've been getting a lot of phone calls - people upset, people labeling us a 'sanctuary city' and the like," Lukasik said.

It's gotten to the point that officials typed a written script to help staffers with the calls.

That way, Lukasik told the town council Tuesday night, "those who aren't as familiar with the issue as some of us can at least respond with some knowledge on a pretty complex issue."

Among some of the tough questions answered in the script:

Aren't all of the workers at El Sol illegal? Isn't the town condoning illegal immigration and labor practices?

In response, town staffers are saying that the labor center isn't supposed to tackle national immigration but rather help maintain quality of life and public safety in Jupiter.

Plus, the center is open to any town resident and volunteers have neither the authority nor the resources to check laborers' immigration status.

The resource center paid about $1,500 to print the color, two-sided fliers, and the center was in charge of stuffing the papers into the water bill envelopes, town and center officials said.

Mike Richmond, president of the El Sol volunteer organization that helps run the center, said the nonprofit group thought of using the water bills as part of its outreach efforts.

"It's not forcing anyone to do anything," he said.

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